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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475634">Making the Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous'>Ononymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Undertale Anniversary Requests 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:41:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,022</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a busy time. Everyone has a part in celebrating the barrier's conquest. For most it's just turn up, have a good time and pick up your trash afterwards. But a few have to spend their time to make sure there's a good time to be had. If they aren't careful, they won't even have the time to have a bad time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asgore Dreemurr &amp; Asriel Dreemurr &amp; Toriel, Asgore Dreemurr &amp; Undyne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Undertale Anniversary Requests 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Making the Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The inky black of the night sky had surrendered to a deep blue half an hour ago. Firmly in control, the blue found itself shifting over time, brightening at a steady pace. There was no hint of pink or gold however, the texture of the sky revealing the clouds blanketing the town and valley. The peak of Mount Ebott was enjoying some rare privacy, the clouds keeping it from view. The valley was still, no signs of life, and no wind to even rustle the trees. This peace extended to the nearby town as well, though as the sky brightened it revealed how colourful the peace was. Buntings and banners of all sizes and shapes and palettes and states of repair lined the empty streets, making it hard to identify the names of the shops that lined them. It was a stark contrast to the organised stampede of inhabitants helping to hoist all those decorations the day before.</p><p>Just as black had yielded to blue, blue in turn yielded to grey before any motion became apparent. At the base of Mount Ebott, a figure emerged from a cave into a heavily shaded cluster of trees, following a dirt path that these days was regularly trampled, but once had been nearly swallowed by grass and shrubbery. If it had been midday their footsteps would have been smothered by life's activity going about its business, but on the edge of this unseen dawn the soft noise of each step travelled much farther than one would expect. At the far end of the woods they stepped from the shadows and then stopped. Leaning against a tree, he proceeded to pat down the soles of his bare feet, dislodging specks of soil caught in the fur. Satisfied they were as clean as could reasonably be demanded, he walked onto the newly widened path that brushed alongside the trees before heading down the valley. He cast a look at a patch of colour which was wildflowers straddling the path further on, before heading in the opposite direction, back to town.</p><p>As he walked his head looked ever skyward. It was a habit that had never died among monsters, even as the novelty of their new lives inevitably faded. He had a reason, however, for watching the bland clouds, emerald eyes failing to find a hint of any other colour than dull grey. Eventually he forced air through his nostrils and returned his view to the road ahead of him. It twisted ahead of him, eventually forking. The left took a wide arc around the mountain, eventually rejoining the main road into town. The right was a short branch line, stopping at another cluster of trees abutting a lake and a small clearing. He stopped at the fork, head turning left and right with accompanying floppy ears as he thought. With another sniff, he strolled to the right and soon dived into woods once again.</p><p>His final destination was not the clearing. It was a tree at its edge, and also a stone's throw from the grey waters of the lake. He hadn't sought it out, it just looked like what he was after at that moment. Planting his back to its trunk while facing the lake, he let his body slide down to the ground, and his head tilt back until his horns touched the tree, just taking in the mid-dawn scene. He still had time, and he fully intended to use it by not using it. A tune soon filled his ears, his own subconscious humming reflecting the quiet landscape before him. This wasn't always where he wanted to be or what he wanted to do, but when it was, he was determined to drink deeply of it.</p><p>"Asriel?"</p><p>"<em>Ah!</em>"</p><p>"Ah!" echoed the lake as he toppled sideways, scuffing his jacket sleeve on the damp ground as he tried to piece together who had gotten the drop on him. His white feet were close to a pair remarkably like his own, peeking from beneath a lavender skirt. Looking up with ease given his position, he quickly picked up on enough similarities, and the difference of copper-red eyes, to figure it out.</p><p>"M-mom?!" he spluttered. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>Toriel smiled. "That is a worthwhile question. One I could ask you, my son." She offered a fuzzy hand to help him to his feet, while the smile faded. "Are you feeling troubled, Asriel? Was it one of your dreams?"</p><p>"My dreams?" He brushed dirt off his sleeve while shaking his head. "No. It's actually been a while since I had one of those."</p><p>Her smile returned, clearly relieved. "I remember when we would discuss them many nights in a row. Or Frisk would calm you down no matter how many times I asked them to wake me. I always imagined having a celebration of some kind when they ceased their regular occurrence, but they faded so gradually..."</p><p>"I think I like it better this way," said Asriel. "Better than kicking up a fuss."</p><p>She traced the outline of his cheek with her hand. "You are always worth a fuss, Asriel. But I must ask again, why are you here?"</p><p>"Oh. Well I just wanted some peace today."</p><p>The directness of his answer surprised her. "Peace?"</p><p>"Yeah." He smoothed the tuft of fur on his chin. "Between helping out with getting everything set up yesterday and all the pageantry that we're gonna be at the center of later on, I just needed some time to decompress. It's not like I'm Gerson and I can just stay indoors and turn up the TV until the tables on the streets get laid out with food."</p><p>Toriel gripped her chin in thought. "It's funny. Many times you are more than happy to be in the center of things. This feels like the opposite."</p><p>Asriel shrugged. "Can't help how I feel, Mom."</p><p>"Of course, Son. And you are so forthright with it. I thought as you finally grew older you would resent excessive prying into your affairs."</p><p>He looked out across the lake. "A few years ago I'd have said 'I promised myself No More Secrets' and I'd probably have sounded really cool in my head. But the world's more complicated than that, and I know when I'm being a dork. Still, I try not to hide stuff from everyone for no reason."</p><p>"Ah, yes." She studied his feet intently. "That sounds well reasoned. Do you do this often?"</p><p>He scratched his left ear. "Sometimes."</p><p>"Hmm. I would like to chastise you for skipping sleep, but your needs are very... unique. I am glad you are feeling alright. Well, I suppose I should return the favour. I am out here this morning for a similar reason. I need thinking time before the celebrations get underway as well. But I am being more active about it."</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>She took his hand and guided him into the clearing, where a few picnic tables had been deployed with little rhyme or reason. One of the tables had been colonised with sheets of paper filled with Toriel's untidy handwriting, and a steaming cup of coffee. Asriel squinted as he tried to scan one page in the gloomy light of early morning, a map utterly defaced with scribbled labels.</p><p>"A layout plan? For everything going on today?"</p><p>"Naturally. Everyone looks to your Father to organise it, of course. But while that means the hot beverages are well at hand, he can find it hard when, say, Muffet and Mettaton want the same stall location for their wares. He can put his foot down if he has to, but my own foot produces less argument. Hee hee, some things never change."</p><p>He looked at her relaxed face a moment, then continued. "But I thought you were done being a Queen. Couldn't Dad get Undyne or Alphys to help him?"</p><p>"Oh they are. But there are details in organising a day like this. Asgore has always been a broad strokes type of thinker. For good and for ill." She frowned briefly. "Undyne follows him in that regard, at risk of her broad strokes being that of a sword. Doctor Alphys can help, but the stresses are deceptively intense, and by her own admission they can be hard to bare. If it is to be done, I'd like it done properly. But not necessarily as Queen, my Son. Muffet is quite willing to cede the point if her four hundred cousins can receive some extra assistance at school. Quid pro quo can go a lot farther than fiat. But still..." she picked up the coffee and took a drink. "It feels endless, sometimes."</p><p>"Well do you want help? Even just someone to bounce problems off?"</p><p>"Why Asriel, that sounds..." she frowned again. "But what about Frisk? Won't they be all alone if they wake up?"</p><p>"Yeah. But they know I do this every now and then. Were you going to be out here long?"</p><p>"I am not sure."</p><p>He sat at the picnic table. "Well I'll help you make sure."</p><p>Smiling, she sat down opposite him. "Thank you, my child."</p><p>"It's kind of a shame though," he said, tidying up the paperwork, "that Dad isn't here so you could discuss what you were planning..."</p><p>"Howdy!"</p><p>Asriel looked up, missing his Mother's expression as she turned around at the voice as the lake echoed his "Howdy!" Floral shirt and no crown, but those horns were unique.</p><p>"Asgore!" said Toriel, sounding highly surprised. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Oh, well, um, I just felt like an early stroll before things kick off in town." He put a bag on the table and bent down to inspect it. "Oh, are those the arrangements you're working on, Toriel?"</p><p>"Yes," she said politely. "Asriel just offered to help me out."</p><p>Purple eyes twinkled at his son. "Stepping up, Son? I'm pleased you feel like you can. Well then... Toriel, would you mind if I saw what you had in mind? Best not to wait until we meet in town."</p><p>Toriel took another drink of coffee. "...yes, Asgore, I think that makes more sense than waiting until later."</p><p>"Good," he said, just as formal as Toriel had been. "And also..." He fished in his bag and pulled out sandwiches, along with a flask that no doubt contained tea. "It's a good thing I planned to have a lakeside breakfast. Are you hungry?"</p><p>Toriel left them alone, but Asriel gladly took some, having left the house long after any late night shops were open. As the gloom of the morning gradually lifted, the three of them were deep in conversation about the plans, Asgore squeezing himself besides Toriel. It was mostly conversations of Asriel to Asgore, Asriel to Toriel, or Toriel to Asriel and Asgore. But Asgore to Toriel could not be avoided forever.</p><p>"...so Mettaton offered an open performance in the park," said Asgore, adjusting his spectacles. "Seems he always does that. Everyone gets a kick out of it, has a good time. And that's what the day's about."</p><p>"Well yes," said Toriel, "but an actors troupe wants to put on a comedy show for some variety. I do not believe there is another platform for such a performance other than in the park. It would be a shame to have to choose one or the other."</p><p>"Hmm..." Asgore stroked his beard. "Mettaton probably expects it by now. He'd be really disappointed if I say he can't perform."</p><p>"Hmph." Toriel frowned at the King of Monsters. "Honestly Asgore, I do not think you should base the plans on whether someone is disappointed. Frankly Mettaton could use some."</p><p>"Well," said Asgore, looking at the crumbs of his sandwich, "I don't want anyone to be upset on this day of all days. Maybe next year..."</p><p>"'Maybe next year' runs the risk of transforming into 'never'," pushed Toriel. "I do not see the point of granting Mettaton a monopoly on performing in town."</p><p>"I wouldn't call it a monopoly, I just would hate for-"</p><p>"What about the town hall?" asked Asriel.</p><p>His parents looked at the map he held. "The town hall?" they said together.</p><p>"Well I just know whoever was in charge of building it had that balcony that looks out on the square where food stalls are gonna be," he said, pointing a claw at it, "and as far as I know it's never been used for anything ever since. I don't think Mettaton needs a huge stage for the sort of stuff he does. Maybe if he's okay with it, he could perform there, and the troupe can have the park? They'd need more room to move around, right?"</p><p>Asgore took the map to look at what his Son was talking about, while Toriel consulted her notes on entertainers. "Hmm, I think you are right, Asriel. If your Father can call him to make the arrangements, that should do very nicely. Excellent thinking!"</p><p>"Yes Son," said Asgore, putting down the map. "I'll do that when we get back to town. Resolving that alone was worth you coming out here just to help your Mother." He patted Asriel on the head.</p><p>"Thanks Dad. Only, I hadn't planned to just help Mom with this?" And he explained what he had told Toriel earlier.</p><p>"Peace and quiet?" said Asgore. "Well that makes sense, we all need that from time to time. Though I'm still looking forward to making everyone happy. That's what brings me peace."</p><p>"Usually," said Toriel, not looking at him.</p><p>"Yes, Toriel," said Asgore, expression turning grave for a moment. "But still, to each their own. I'm curious though, why'd you sit by a tree when you know these tables were here?"</p><p>Asriel drummed his fingers on the table. "I don't know. I feel comfortable besides trees. Maybe that's, well, because of everything that happened to me."</p><p>"Maybe," said Asgore, "or maybe you're taking after me in another way?"</p><p>"After you?" asked Toriel.</p><p>"Oh of course, Toriel. You remember those days where there weren't that many seats I could fit in. Rocks, logs, mattresses, the bare ground, I had to make do for a long time. You're lucky that you can use human furniture most of the time. Anyways, I catch myself sitting on the ground after planting flowers sometimes, even though you and Frisk got me that garden furniture set. Habits erode only gradually against the waves of time, especially for us."</p><p>"Heh," said Asriel, "I didn't think seating preferences could be inherited like that."</p><p>"Well you're inheriting from us as we speak," said Asgore, tapping his chest. "Though you're still your own person, which is all I want. And while I'm sure you'd have loved to see the sun this morning, the scenery is beautiful all the same. It would be easy to feel peaceful like this."</p><p>"I guess," said Asriel, "only... it wasn't the only way I felt peace."</p><p>His parents looked at each other for the first time. "What do you mean, my son?"</p><p>"Mom, Dad... do you remember the day Chara fell?"</p><p>That earned a second look. "Chara...?" said Toriel. "Well of course. I was repairing your Father's trousers, and you banged on the door and opened it before I had a chance to look up from my needle, and you sounded so worried about someone you'd just met-"</p><p>"Yeah," interrupted Asriel. "But do you remember what day it happened?"</p><p>"Um, I think so," said Asgore, nonplussed. "It was..."</p><p>His purple eyes suddenly widened. At the same time Toriel took a sharp breath and held her hand over her mouth. For the third time they looked directly at each other.</p><p>"Today," said Asriel. "However fate arranged it, the day they fell into the Underground was the same day Frisk fell. The same day we were freed. So soon after I... came back to you, I asked Frisk how they found the entrance and I went there early that day too... There wouldn't be time later. And that's the case now more than ever. I know you both go and visit them the day that we both... Well, I felt different, is all."</p><p>Asriel felt his head gently coaxed forward by his mother's hand, and sure enough was in the grips of a hug.</p><p>"We thought..." said Asgore, not risking joining in the hug, "that when you didn't go with either of us that... well, your feelings about them. Given what happened."</p><p>"Well yeah," said Asriel, disengaging from Toriel, "part of me does. But they were still my friend. I should have been a better friend. There for them, you know?"</p><p>Toriel looked on the verge of cutting across him, to deny his claim and make all the arguments about what a child could be expected to do, but she stopped herself. Instead, she let Asgore put a hand on her shoulder. "...we should have been there for them, too," she said.</p><p>The table was in silence for a few minutes. All three chose to look out at the lake to process the conversation.</p><p>"Was this lake always here?" asked Asriel.</p><p>"Since I was a child," said Asgore. "The shape's a bit different though. We're sitting in the lake, about ten yards from the shore of my day. And that far shore, there were houses there when we were sealed. But the coast advanced and drowned them, probably. Bodies of water can change a lot over time. Change direction, change shape, grow, shrink, vanish entirely. The perils of weather."</p><p>"That reminds me," said Toriel, jumping on the subject change. "That portable swimming pool for Onionsan and other aquatic monsters still needs paid for. At least it did yesterday. Did you sort that out, Asgore?"</p><p>"Hmm? Oh, yes, I called them up at lunchtime." He fished out a large coin stamped with the Delta Rune on it. "It amuses me how some humans enjoy being paid with our coins when they can't spend them elsewhere."</p><p>"Well, one less thing to worry about," said Asriel. "Golly, things are going well, aren't they? And I'm kinda surprised."</p><p>"Surprised?" asked Toriel. "What about?"</p><p>"Well when Dad offered to stay, I though he'd sit beside me or something. But you've been sitting side by side without complaint. I know you aren't as angry with him these days, but still..."</p><p>Toriel's mouth half opened before closing again, while Asgore started pouring tea from his flask. Asriel wondered why on earth this observation flummoxed them. Were they that surprised?</p><p><em>SPLASH.</em> <strong>"Ngah!"</strong></p><p>Toriel suddenly raised her hands. A roaring heat erupted behind Asriel, and his own shadow was cast over his parents. Just as quickly as the heat appeared it vanished again, and only then was he able to turn around and see what happened. The last wisps of flame were fading as a large volley of steam rose into the brightening sky. The grass immediately behind him was drenched, and following the trail of damp grass revealed the multipurpose quickdry training outfit of...</p><p>"Undyne!" said Asgore. "You're up early!"</p><p>Her yellow teeth split into a grin. "Nah, I let myself have a lie in! But I'm getting my cardio out of the way before the party later. Swimming's great for that! But then I saw your fluffy buns and I had to say hello, didn't I?"</p><p>"You could have been more careful," said Toriel coolly. "You almost drenched our notes. And our Son."</p><p>The yellow grin was swallowed up by blue. "Oh, uh, sorry Azzy."</p><p>"It's okay, Undyne," he said, "no harm, no foul. And I've had worse happen."</p><p>"That's the spirit a king needs. Hey, what are you guys working on?"</p><p>"Oh," said Asgore with an attempt at a no-big-deal hand gesture, "just some last minute details for the celebrations later."</p><p>"Oh, cool. Hey, maybe I should get involved too. You know, from a security perspective. Know where to send the guards and stuff."</p><p>"Erm, I am not sure-" began Toriel.</p><p>"Of course!" Asgore spread his arms wide. "The more the merrier!"</p><p>"Cool! Budge up, highness."</p><p>Asriel obliged her, shuffling to his left to directly face his mother. The conference enlarged, Toriel recounted a high level overview of where she expected the crowds to be, and her own opinions about guard placement. There was little argument from Undyne about the deployment, Toriel's layout was well reasoned and efficient. Their equipment, however, was another story.</p><p>"No weapons?" Undyne's eye narrowed. "But then how do we let any punks know they won't get away with causing trouble?"</p><p>"Not by stabbing them," said Toriel, eyes matching Undyne's posture. "Intimidating the crowd would just ruin the atmosphere, and the reason we are doing this."</p><p>"Mom's right." Asriel accepted Asgore's cup for a sip of tea. "If any day is one to let people go a little wild, why not today?"</p><p>"I guess..." She looked at Asgore's encouraging smile. "Yeah. Yeah! Let 'em blow off steam!" Three faces with varying enthusiasm looked back at her. "God, I'm starving, anyone else?"</p><p>"Um, we've already eaten, Undyne," said Asgore.</p><p>"'kay." unzipping a watertight pocket on her shirt, she took out her phone and jabbed in a number. "Hey, Alph? C'mon, it's not THAT early. Look, can you do me a favour? Last night's leftovers, could you get it from the fridge, hack into my phone an' deposit them in storage? Password? Sure, it's sp34r0f7u5tic3. Thanks Babe, see ya later." She put her hands on the back of her head, beneath the flaming ponytail. "Nothing to it!"</p><p>"Do you need one of us to warm it up when it arrives?" asked Toriel. "It would be no bother."</p><p>Undyne shook her head. "I'm good. It ain't bad cold." Her phone beeped, and with a few button jabs a lunchbox flashed into being. She opened it, took out the accompanying fork, speared a sliced egg amid the pasta and started chewing on it. "Aw yeah, that's the stuff."</p><p>Asgore chuckled. "Good to see you're enjoying your breakfast. I always thought it was an important start to the day." He looked around. "Asriel?"</p><p>Undyne and Toriel turned towards him at the sound of his name. Since discussing the security arrangements he hadn't contributed to the conversation, and now looked thoughtful, even apprehensive.</p><p>"My Son?" Toriel rested her hand on his. "Are you alright?"</p><p>"Yeah, I..." he swallowed hard. "There's something I have to tell you, and I'm not sure how."</p><p>Asgore leaned in, clearly worried. "What's wrong? Do you need help?"</p><p>"No no no, but... I don't know how to explain."</p><p>A few pieces of pasta made a bid for freedom from Undyne's midair fork. "Uh, is this personal? Maybe I should skedaddle and-"</p><p>"No no, it's okay, you can hear this. Okay..." Asriel took a deep breath. "I can talk to bees."</p><p>The lake didn't oblige to echo the admission, but it didn't have to. It lay thick over the table, wrapping the monsters in silent. That is, until Undyne's almost mechanical "What." broke the silence like a karate chop.</p><p>"Well," said Asriel, "when I was, you know, the flower, bees would come around. It's only natural, right? At least, that's what the librarby books told me. Still really annoying when you're trying to think about stuff and they literally get in your face. At least they didn't sting. But after a while... I thought I could understand them. Maybe flowers instinctively can. So I tried talking to one. And he talked back! It wasn't English or anything, but I knew he was saying 'Hello'!"</p><p>Much blinking went on. The fork followed the pasta in escaping from Undyne's scaly grip.</p><p>"Well I had something new to do, didn't I?" he continued. "So every now and then I'd talk to them. I can't describe it, you wouldn't have understood me, but we told each other stories. And bee stories are really interesting, apparently hives get really political when it's time for a new Queen Bee. And then, one day, a human fell, and well..." he gestured at the table. "We all know what happened then."</p><p>"Yes..." whispered Toriel.</p><p>"Would I go back to being a flower? Never. My worst day as a monster is worth a century of photosynthesis. But I lost one thing. The bees just sounded like bees to me again. I tried a conversation once, in Dad's garden, but they just tried to sting. Good thing for fur. But then this morning..."</p><p>"This morning?" repeated Asgore. He was scanning Asriel's arms for a sign of a sting.</p><p>"I was coming back from Mount Ebott - long story, Undyne - and in the woods, I thought I heard something. It reminded me of those stories. So I went off the track and found some bees working on a flower. And I could hear what they were saying! Stuff about moving the pollen, no small talk, but I could understand it! So I introduced myself and asked them their name."</p><p>"And what did they say?" begged Undyne, jaw agape.</p><p>"Nothing. I guess they were too <em>buzzy</em>."</p><p>"Buzzy," the lake amplified, while Asriel wore the goofiest grin possible. The silence that followed it was not neatly chopped in half like before. Instead it was torn to shreds by a pack of raucous laughter. Toriel's shrill titters, Asgore's booming guffaw, Undyne's slamming of her fist on the table, threatening to crack it with each strike. And Asriel's childish giggle despite his age.</p><p>"I- hee hee- I am so- hee- so proud of you, my Son!" Toriel wiped a tear from her eye. "I wondered if you- hee hee- ever had it in you."</p><p>"Heh, well, I've had years of Sans', what did he call it, hyperparonomasia to endure. I guess it rubbed off."</p><p>"Fuhuhu, I'da probably gotten Papyrus to scold him for a stunt like that. You got a killer delivery, Prince." Undyne exhaled, content. "Y'know, this is kinda nice, just a little downtime with a few friends."</p><p>Asriel started nodding. "You know, you're right. I was alone earlier, but when Mom found me-"</p><p>"We just need a few more!"</p><p>Toriel tilted her head. "More?"</p><p>"Yeah! What's the point of having all this serenity if ya can't share it?" She picked up her phone and dialled a number again. "Hey Alph, come on out here, we're having fun! Where's 'here'? The picnic place by the lake, surrounded by trees? Directions? Hell, just call Papyrus, Sans'll know a shortcut. See ya soon!" Her razor grin reappeared. "Incoming!"</p><p>The four of them looked over to the path that led to the clearing from the main road. Nothing happened. After fifteen quiet minutes however, nothing still happened.</p><p>"Huh," said Undyne, "maybe Sans is asleep."</p><p>"Undyne," said Toriel, "would too many cooks spoil the broth? We are almost finished with these plans, it would be a shame if-"</p><p>"Actually," said Asgore, "it may be wise to get other perspectives on this, Tori. *Ahem* Toriel. You yourself said Alphys has sound organisational skills."</p><p>Toriel nodded slowly. "Perhaps. And for what started as a lonely morning it has progressed rather splendidly."</p><p>
  <span class="comicsans-lower">"yeah, who cares if you <em>goat</em> to be somewhere else?"</span>
</p><p>"Oh! Sans!"</p><p>From the opposite end of the clearing Asriel had entered, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys and Frisk emerged. The four erstwhile planners got up from the table to get a better look at their friends. Sans and Alphys wasn't carrying anything, but Frisk, dressed in Delta Robes, had a couple of shopping bags, and Papyrus had a large hamper.</p><p>"REFRESHMENTS!" he called. "DOCTOR ALPHYS WASN'T SURE IF THE ROYAL FAMILY WERE FED, SO THE HUMAN AND I CAME PREPARED!"</p><p>"Oh golly," said Asriel, "that's great Papyrus, but we're fed and watered already.</p><p>"Oh. S-sorry, I should have asked," said Alphys.</p><p>"NO MATTER," said Papyrus, undaunted, "PERHAPS MISTER GERSON WILL ENJOY THESE BACON AND SPAGHETTI MUFFINS."</p><p>"Bacon and spaghet-" Asgore shook his head. "Gerson?"</p><p>"YES, SIRE, HE SAW US GETTING SUPPLIES FROM THE SHOP AND ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING. HE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A RIGHT PROPER SHINDIG AND SAID HE'D BE RIGHT OVER. AFTER HE TOLD A FEW OTHERS ABOUT IT."</p><p>"Is there enough food?" Toriel eyed the hamper, plans forgotten. "I would hate for Gerson to go hungry."</p><p>"We can get more, Mom," said Frisk, "plenty of time."</p><p>"But what about seating?" asked Asgore. "We shouldn't have to force people to sit on the grass."</p><p>"Wh-what about the chairs we put in the park for Mettaton's c-concert?" suggested Alphys. "We could borrow them for this planning session."</p><p><span class="comicsans-lower">"not so sure i've a short cut there, doc,"</span> said Sans.</p><p>"Oh," said Toriel, "well perhaps we can-."</p><p>
  <span class="comicsans-lower">"i can borrow one though."</span>
</p><p>"Okay, cool!" said Asriel, rising to the challenge. "And maybe someone could grab one of the street banners and change it to 'planning session'..."</p><p>As the day rolled on, a fresh breeze picked up, finally breaking apart the oppressive cloud cover. As they did so, rays of sunlight shone down on the town, ever ready for the party to celebrate their freedom.</p><p>A party that never happened.</p><p>It took a while for the sun to reach the clearing, where most inhabitants of the town had wound up. The planning consultation had healthy back and forth, and jokes, and some monsters just moved the stalls they had set up the day before to be alongside the path. As did a few food stalls. Mettaton found two trees that made the perfect framing for a stage, and performed an improv routine with the comedy troupe. Speakers were produced so the younger monsters could enjoy Shyren and Napstablook's latest collaboration. The royal Guards mingled among the crowd, keeping a close eye and closer nose on would be troublemakers. Everyone later concluded the consultation for how to celebrate the anniversary of the barrier breaking was a great time. And in the middle of it the Royal Family sat at their planning table, making no real headway for those plans but feeling like they had succeeded. And, miraculously, not one eyeball saw - nor one foot touched or knocked over - the open bottle of wine or the two glasses that had been hastily hidden away under their table earlier that morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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